title: Data scattering in scanning tunneling spectroscopy.
abstract: We investigated the scattering of current-voltage data obtained with scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) at room temperature at a solid-liquid interface on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and in ultrahigh vacuum on HOPG and Au(111). For both experimental conditions, the data scattering can be described by a lognormal function for a moderate number of subsequent measurements. The lognormal distribution of the current can be explained by a normal distribution of the tip-surface distance. We give a simple empirical rule for STS data sorting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Humboldt University Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany. severni@physik.hu-berlin.de
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Severin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Groeper
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kniprath
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Glowatzki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Sokolov
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rabe